Follow Us on Google
• MACBAN rejects US designation as terrorist group
• We’re studying proposal –Kwankwasiyya Movement
By Philip Nwosu, Desmond Mgbo, Kano and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The move by the United States Congress to designate the Fulani militia group, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) as a foreign terrorist organisation as well as place a visa ban on the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is generating apprehension across the north.
The US Congress has forwarded a new bill seeking possible terrorist designations against MACBAN and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
The proposed legislation known as the “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, also wants a visa ban slammed on Kwankwaso
It also urged the US Government to freeze assets and take other punitive measures on the organisations and persons allegedly linked to the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria.
Introduced in the House of Representatives by US Congressman, Chris Smith of New Jersey and co-sponsored by Representatives Moore, Mast and Huizenga, the bill also called on the US Secretary of State to consider designating Fulani-ethnic militias operating in Nigeria as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
Lawmakers behind the bill said the growing scale of violence in Nigeria now poses a direct threat to regional stability and the US strategic interests in West Africa.
The legislation recommended that the Departments of State and Treasury utilise the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to sanction any individuals or entities found responsible for severe violations of religious freedom.
It further called for investigations into domestic and foreign networks that may be financing or otherwise supporting militia activities in Nigeria.
Beyond sanctions, the bill laid out a disturbing picture of widespread and systematic religious persecution across Nigeria.
According to congressional findings included in the Act, extremist violence has persisted in the country since 2009. The bill cited attacks carried out by Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Fulani militant groups, including mass killings, kidnappings, rape, destruction of villages and forced displacement.
Lawmakers’ reference estimated that between 50,000 and 125,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria between 2009 and 2025, with more than 19,000 churches destroyed or attacked.
Particularly alarming, the bill noted, were the massacres in Benue and Plateau states between 2023 and 2025, which reportedly claimed over 9,500 lives, mostly Christians and displaced more than half a million people.
“These acts are intended to intimidate, coerce and displace civilian populations,” the bill stated, arguing that they met the legal definition of terrorism under US law.
The legislation sharply criticised the Nigerian government for what it described as years of inaction and denial.
The Congress accused the Nigerian authorities of failing to prosecute perpetrators, ignoring early warnings of attacks and downplaying the religious nature of the violence.
The bill highlighted the continued enforcement of blasphemy laws in 12 northern Nigerian states; laws that have led to mob killings and harsh prison sentences against Christians and minority Muslims.
One case cited was that of Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer sentenced to death in 2021 after defending himself against an armed herder. Although pardoned in 2025 after spending a decade in prison, his case was described as evidence of deep-seated injustice.
“Victims frequently face punishment, while known perpetrators face no consequences,” the bill declared.
The proposed law supported President Donald Trump’s decision to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for severe religious freedom violations.
The designation, first issued in 2020 and reinstated in October 2025, followed repeated recommendations from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
According to the bill, Nigeria’s removal from the CPC list in 2021 under the previous US administration coincided with a sharp rise in religiously motivated killings.
Other News
“Designating Nigeria as a CPC enhances diplomatic tools, including sanctions, to pressure the Nigerian Government to halt religious persecution,” the legislation asserted.
A core component of the bill is a strict reporting requirement aimed at holding both Nigeria and the US government accountable.
Within 90 days of enactment, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State would be required to submit detailed reports to Congress on Nigeria’s compliance with international religious freedom standards, efforts to prosecute attackers and dismantle extremist networks, the impact of the US security assistance to Nigeria, humanitarian support for displaced communities and conditions facing internally displaced persons.
It said these reports would continue until Nigeria is removed from the CPC list.
It urged the United States to deliver assistance through trusted faith-based and nongovernmental organisations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, with co-funding from the Nigerian government.
Lawmakers also encouraged deeper diplomatic engagement, urging international partners such as France, Hungary and the United Kingdom to join efforts to promote peace and protect vulnerable communities.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and a major economic and security partner of the United States. But, American lawmakers warned that unchecked religious violence threatens to destabilise the entire West African region.
“The United States stands in solidarity with Christians and all persecuted religious minorities in Nigeria,” the bill declared, adding that future goodwill between both countries depends on Nigeria’s willingness to confront the crisis.
However, reacting to the development, MACBAN has rejected the terrorists designation, saying it doesn’t know how the US Government arrived at the decision.
President of the Association, Baba Othman, told Daily Sun yesterday that he did not know how the US Government arrived at the decision, insisting that such a terrorist tag was unacceptable to the Association.
He said: “I read the report earlier in the day and was surprised to see such unfair treatment from the US lawmakers. That description of a terrorist organisation is totally strange to us. MACBAN is an organisation that has been in existence in Nigeria for the past 42 years and we have operated legitimately over the years without involvement in crime or sponsoring any criminal/terrorist organisation.
“We have been the sole umbrella body for all herders in Nigeria, irrespective of religion, political, ethnic and social differences. As long as you are a herder and registered with us, we care and protect your interest. For the past 42 years that we have operated in Nigeria, we have not been seen or linked to any terrorist organisation or people involved in criminal activities or sponsorship. So, it’s surprising to us that the US government could take such an unfair decision on an innocent and peace-loving organisation like MACBAN.”
He, however, said the Association would take up the matter with the Federal Government seeking diplomatic protection and action to reverse the decision of the US Congress. “We cannot join issues with the US government. But, the best thing for us is to approach the Federal Government under whom we have been operating and paying all necessary tax in the past 42 years.
“It’s the duty of the Federal Government to protect its citizens and their businesses from external attacks and exploitation and we are asking for that. So, that’s the next step that we will take because the decision of the US Congress to designate the Association as a terrorist association does not align with us. This will, definitely, have a devastating effect on our reputation and businesses.”
The US Congress, yesterday, proposed sanctions, including visa ban and asset freezes against former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and members of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) over what the lawmakers described as their alleged roles in the persecution and massacre of Christians in northern Nigeria.
The US lawmakers reportedly want to compel President Bola Tinubu’s administration to take stronger action against the targeted killings of Christians in parts of the country.
The lawmakers urged the Department of State and the Department of Treasury to effectively impose targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. The targeted sanctions could include visa bans and asset freezes on individuals and entities responsible for severe religious violations in Nigeria.
Also reacting, a member of the Kwankwasiyya Movement’s media team, Dr Nazif Umar, said the movement was studying the proposal by five US lawmakers seeking a visa ban and freezing of assets belonging to their political leader, Kwankwaso
Speaking in a telephone chat with Daily Sun in Kano, Dr. Nazif explained that they were aware of the proposal by the US lawmakers and would make their position public in due course .
He said that the issue was serious and must be sent to their principal, Senator Kwankwaso for vetting and approval before a statement could be issued to the public on the subject matter.
He regretted that their principal was currently in transit but noted that once he was settled, he would go through their draft response and give his consent.
